Sydney, NSW. As workforce shortages continue across Greater Sydney and the Illawarra, new national data reveals a significant untapped talent pool: people with disability who are willing and able to work but remain underemployed or excluded from the labour market.
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 10% of employed people with disability are underemployed, wanting and able to work more hours, compared with 6.9% of people without disability. More recently, Jobs and Skills Australia confirmed that around 260,000 people with disability are currently not employed but are potentially job-ready, citing structural barriers rather than capability as the primary issue.
Against this backdrop, Civic Disability Services (Civic) is scaling its proven Civic Crew model – a fully managed workforce solution that enables businesses to meet operational demand while creating meaningful, sustainable employment opportunities for people with disability.
Originally established in 2019, Civic Crew was designed to remove the friction that often stops organisations from turning inclusive employment intentions into action.
A Proven Model That Removes Barriers for Employers
While many organisations recognise the benefits of employing people with disability -including improved staff morale, stronger workplace culture and alignment with environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitments – uncertainty around recruitment, compliance and on-the-job support continues to hold businesses back.
Civic Crew addresses this challenge directly.
"We know businesses want to build more inclusive workplaces but often don't know where to start or worry about the additional workload," said Danielle Roderick, General Manager, Job Pathways at Civic.
"Civic Crew removes that complexity. We manage the entire workforce solution so organisations can focus on running their business, while also achieving meaningful social and economic impact."
A Fully Managed Workforce Solution
Unlike traditional recruitment or labour-hire models, Civic Crew operates as a fully managed workforce partner, embedding supported teams directly into host organisations.
Civic manages the entire end-to-end process, including:
- Recruitment and onboarding – sourcing, training and preparing job-ready participants
- Administrative and HR management – managing compliance, documentation and coordination
- On-site supervision and ongoing support – ensuring consistency, productivity and workforce stability
Participants remain employees of Civic, benefiting from structured support systems, while contributing productively within host workplaces.
This approach reduces risk, saves time and removes pressure on internal HR teams, while providing businesses with a reliable, motivated and supported workforce.
From Inclusion to Economic Impact
At a time when employers are facing ongoing labour constraints, Civic Crew reframes disability employment as a workforce solution – not a charitable exercise.
National research shows that people with disability continue to face entrenched disadvantage in the labour market, despite strong willingness to work and growing skills diversity. By combining workforce capability with embedded support, Civic Crew demonstrates that inclusive employment is not only achievable, but commercially viable and scalable.
Building Disability-Confident Workplaces
In addition to providing a fully managed workforce, Civic also partners with host organisations to build their confidence and capability to employ people with disability. This includes tailored support to help workplaces become more disability-confident, inclusive and accessible in their recruitment and employment practices.
"We work alongside organisations to strengthen their inclusive hiring approaches, prove workplace readiness and develop a practical understanding of reasonable adjustments, communication and on-the-job support," says Dani. "By combining workforce delivery with capability-building, we help organisations not only fill immediate roles but lay the foundations for more inclusive employment practices over the long term."
